Drum Pallet

ABSTRACT

A one-piece pallet for securing and stacking drums thereon may include a tray having downwardly and inwardly tapering peripheral side walls, a top surface having a plurality of raised support surfaces, each shaped to engage a bottom of a container, a plurality of raised dividers, each of said dividers being positioned between adjacent support surfaces and being shaped to engage a side wall of a drum resting on said adjacent support surfaces. The side walls may have outer raised ribs terminating adjacent one of the support surfaces and shaped to engage a side wall of a drum resting on said adjacent one of said support surfaces. The dividers may include inner raised ribs having terminal portions opposite the terminal portions of the outer raised ribs such that a drum resting on any one of said support surfaces is constrained by the terminal portions of the inner and outer raised ribs from lateral movement relative to the tray. Support pedestals extend from a bottom surface of the tray, and the pedestals each include an arcuate groove shaped to engage an upper periphery of a drum that may facilitate stacking of the pallet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/166,094 filed Apr. 2, 2009.

BACKGROUND

This disclosure relates to pallets and, more particularly, to a stackable pallet for transporting containers, such as drums.

Pallets are used to transport large items or containers of smaller items or granular material or liquids in a manner that facilitates the loading and unloading of the items or containers on a conveyance by a material handling vehicle. Ideally, a pallet is a substantially flat, square platform that is capable of supporting goods without sagging or other deformation. The goods or containers placed on a pallet usually are bound together and to the pallet by strapping or shrink wrap. Pallets preferably are shaped to receive the forks of a lift truck, pallet jack, front loader or other mobile jacking device.

Pallets promote efficient movement of goods to and from means of transportation. Pallets are best used on modes of transportation having relatively clean, level, flat surfaces. Such surfaces include railcars, trailers and shipping containers.

Pallets are usually made of wood and have a useful life of a single or a few shipments. Pallets also may be made of other materials, such as metal and plastic. Plastic pallets may be molded into complex shapes, may be cleaned and sterilized, and may be sufficiently rugged to withstand multiple shipments. Another advantage of plastic pallets is that they may be shaped to be nestable and stackable.

Drum pallets are shaped to support cylindrical drums, typically three or four standard fifty-gallon drums. Such drum pallets may be made of plastic and may be molded to include fork entrances. In addition, the pallets may include molded-in rings to secure standard drums, and molded-in rings on runners on the underside to facilitate stacking. A disadvantage of such plastic drum pallets is that they may be molded from two pieces, which may increase the cost. Also, such pallets do not include means to contain spills or leaks.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is directed to a drum pallet that may be made from a single sheet of plastic. The disclosed pallet may be made of high density polyethylene. In one aspect, the pallet may be made by thermoforming a single sheet of plastic.

The pallet may have raised support surfaces capable of supporting containers such as drums securely, peripheral side walls for strength, integral legs or pedestals spaced to accommodate forks from a lift truck or other material handling vehicle, and grooves formed in the pedestals shaped to receive top portions of containers, thereby facilitating stacking loaded pallets. In one aspect, the pallet may include an open bottom surface that facilitates nestable stacking of pallets when not in use.

In one aspect, the side walls may form a continuous rim about the top surface of the pallet for spill containment, and added resistance to warping or deformation of the tray. Further, certain of the pedestals may be positioned at the corners and mid-lengths of the pallet, and the side walls may form an outer component of such pedestals. The side walls may include corrugations that may strengthen the side walls and legs of the pallet in the vertical direction.

In another aspect, the pallet may include a plurality of dividers formed on the top surface and positioned between adjacent support surfaces. The dividers add strength to the pallet and resistance to deformation. The dividers may include raised ribs, which may add strength to the dividers. The raised ribs may include opposing terminal portions shaped to engage and help locate the bottoms of drums placed upon the support surfaces.

Other objects and advantages of the disclosed drum pallet may be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the disclosed pallet;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the pallet taken at line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the pallet taken at line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the pallet of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic, side elevational view of two stacked groupings of drums, each on a pallet of the design shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a detail in perspective showing an engagement of a drum rim with a pedestal groove of the pallet of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a grouping of drums engaged by pallets of the design shown in FIG. 1 on their upper and lower surfaces.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4, the disclosed drum pallet, generally designated 10, may be in the form of a generally square, one-piece tray 12 having downwardly extending, inwardly tapering side walls 14, 16, 18, 20. One or more of the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20 may include downwardly extending corrugations 22 to add strength. The side walls 14, 16, 18, 20 may together form a continuous, outer peripheral rim. This continuous rim may be desirable for adding strength and containing spills and leaks from drums or other containers carried by the pallet 10.

While the tray 12 may have a generally square shape when viewed from above, as best shown in FIG. 2, in one aspect the tray may have rectangular, oblong or other shape. However, a substantially square shape may be preferable for most applications in that a generally square pallet 10 is more resistant to tipping when loaded with drums or other containers and may be easier to fit within, and be loaded and unloaded in a confined space, such as in a trailer, railroad boxcar or shipping container.

The drum pallet 10 may be unitary and made entirely from a single sheet of plastic by thermoforming. While other types of plastic may be used, a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) may be preferred.

The tray 12 may include a top surface 23 having a plurality of integrally formed, raised support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30, each shaped to receive the bottom portion 32 of a container 34, such as a drum (see FIG. 6). Each of the support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 may include integral grooves 36, 38 in a cruciform pattern extending in the plane of the support surface to provide beam strength and resistance to deflection.

The tray 12 also may include a plurality of raised, elongate dividers 40, 42, 44, 46, each of which may be formed integrally with, and extend upwardly from the top surface 23 and may extend along centerlines of the tray between two adjacent support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30. For example, divider 40 may extend between support surface 24 and support surface 30, divider 42 may extend between support surface 24 and support surface 26, divider 44 may extend between support surface 26 and support surface 28 and divider 46 may extend between support surface 30 and support surface 28.

Each divider 40, 42, 44, 46 may include a plurality of inner raised ribs 48, 50, 52, each of which may extend transversely of the divider toward the center of the adjacent support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30. The inner raised ribs 48, 50, 52 each may have terminal portions 53 shaped and positioned to contact and secure a bottom portion of a container or drum 34 positioned on an associated one of the support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 to prevent relative lateral movement between the bottom portion and the support surfaces.

Each side wall 14, 16, 18, 20 of the tray 12 may include two pairs of outer raised ribs 54, 56 that extend inwardly toward the center of the associated support surface 24, 26, 28, 30. The pairs of outer raised ribs 54, 56 are spaced on the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20 such that each support surface 24, 26, 28, 30 includes two associated pairs of raised ribs 54, 46. Preferably, the outer ribs 54, 56 are positioned directly opposite the inner raised ribs 48, 50, 52 of an opposing divider 40, 42, 44, 46. Outer raised ribs 54, 56 each may include a terminal portion 57 shaped and positioned to contact and secure a bottom portion of a drum 34 positioned on an associated one of the support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 to prevent relative lateral movement between the bottom portion of the drum and the support surface.

Thus a container or drum 34 positioned on each of the support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 may be engaged by terminal portions 53 of the inner raised ribs 48, 50, 52 on two sides, and the terminal portions 57 of the outer raised ribs 54, 56 on two opposing sides. For example, a container or drum 34 positioned on support surface 26 (see FIG. 1) may be secured in position by terminal portions 53 of inner raised ribs 48, 50, 52 of divider 42 on a first quadrant, terminal portions 57 of raised ribs 54, 56 of outer wall 16 on an opposite quadrant, terminal portions 53 of inner raised ribs of divider 44 on another quadrant, and terminal portions 57 of outer raised ribs 54, 56 on outer wall 14 on an opposite quadrant.

In one aspect, the support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 and associated dividers 40, 42, 44, 46 may be shaped to create identical and repeatable units within the tray 12. This design may enable the pallet 10 to be scaled to accommodate any number of drums 34. Further, the arrangement of support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 may be symmetrical about lengthwise and widthwise tray 12 centerlines, so that the pallet 10 may be used in either orientation, which may facilitate ease of use.

The top surface 23 of the tray 12 may be shaped to provide a depression forming a central leg or pedestal 58 that extends downwardly from the bottom surface 59 (see FIG. 5). Similarly, the bottom surface 59 may be shaped to form corner pedestals 60, 62, 64, 66, and mid-length pedestals 68, 70, 72, 74 with the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20. The pedestals 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74 may be shaped and spaced to provide two opposing pairs of longitudinal openings 76, 78 and two opposing pairs of transverse openings 80, 82 sized to receive the forks of a forklift truck or other lifting device (not shown). The pedestals 60 - 74 may be arranged such that forks may be inserted beneath any of the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20.

Also as shown in FIG. 5, the corner pedestals ‘60, 62, 64, 66 may include arcuate grooves 84, the mid-pedestals 68, 70, 72, 74 each may include pairs of arcuate grooves 86, 88, and the central pedestal 58 may include four arcuate grooves 90. The portion of the bottom surface 59 immediately below each of the support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 the tray 12 (see FIG. 2) may be bounded by arcuate grooves 84, 86, 88, 90, which are oriented relative to each other to form segments of a circle shaped to receive the raised rim 92 of the container 34 (see FIG. 8). As shown in FIG. 7, the rim 92 of the container 34 may be received within arcuate groove 86 of mid-length pedestal 72.

In this fashion, each of a grouping of four containers 34 positioned beneath a pallet 10 may be prevented from lateral movement relative to the pallet above it by the engagement of the rims 92 of the container with the arcuate grooves 84, 86, 88, 90 of each of the pedestals 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74. An advantage of placing the grooves 84, 86, 88, 90 on the bottom surfaces of the pedestals 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74 may be that a pallet 10 is capable of stacking securely on the rims 92 of containers or drums 34 below it and yet provide spaces between the pedestals and drums to allow forks of a lift truck (not shown) to be inserted between the pallet and drums (see FIGS. 6 and 8).

As shown in FIG. 1, in one aspect, the side walls 14, 16, 18, 20 may taper downwardly and inwardly, the vertical walls of the dividers 40, 42, 44, 46 may taper downwardly and outwardly, and the vertical walls of the pedestals 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74 may taper downwardly and inwardly. The top surface 23 may be formed such that the interiors of the pedestals 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 68, 70, 72, 74 are open and shaped to receive the bottom portions of pedestals from a second pallet 10′ (see FIG. 8). Further, the bottom surface 59 (see FIG. 5) includes depressions corresponding to the dividers 40, 42, 44, 46 and shaped to receive the upper portions of the dividers of a superposed pallet. This construction enables multiple pallets 10, 10′ to be stacked in a nested relationship when not in use.

As shown in FIG. 8, a first pallet 10 may be placed on top of a grouping of four containers 34 such that the rims 92 of the containers 34 engage the arcuate grooves 84, 86, 88, 90 (see FIG. 5) and are restrained from relative lateral movement. At the same time, a second pallet 10′ may receive the bottom portions 32 of the containers 34 on the support surfaces 24, 26, 28, 30 (see FIG. 1) and likewise constrain relative lateral movement, while at the same time elevating the containers to enable the entire structure to be lifted by a forklift device (not shown).

The pallet 10 described herein may have the advantage of being unitary in construction, shaped such that it is stackable and nestable, made up of repeating units to provide a measure of scalability and include forklift channels both in a longitudinal and a transverse direction. The single-piece pallet 10 disclosed herein facilitates the stacking of containers, such as drums, in that it receives the bottom portions of containers on support surfaces formed in its upper surface, and receives the upper rims of the drums in its underside. 

1. A drum pallet comprising: a tray having a top surface and a bottom surface; said top surface including a plurality of support surfaces, each of said support surfaces being shaped to receive and support a bottom portion of a container; and a plurality of raised dividers, each of said dividers being positioned adjacent one of said support surfaces and shaped to engage a bottom portion of a container supported on said adjacent one of said support surfaces and thereby prevent relative lateral movement between said tray and said bottom portion of said container supported on said adjacent one of said support surfaces; and said bottom surface having a plurality of grooves formed therein, said grooves being shaped to receive an upper portion of a container and thereby prevent relative lateral movement between said tray and said upper portion of a container received by said grooves, said grooves being positioned on said bottom surface to correspond to said support surfaces; whereby said tray is capable of being placed upon said upper portions of a grouping of containers received and supported on said support surfaces of a second one of said tray immediately below said tray, such that relative lateral movement between said tray and said second one of said tray and upper portions and lower portions of each container of said grouping of containers is prevented.
 2. The drum pallet of claim 1 wherein each of said raised dividers is positioned on said top surface between adjacent ones of said support surfaces.
 3. The drum pallet of claim 2 wherein said raised dividers include raised ribs, said raised ribs having terminal portions shaped and positioned to contact and secure a bottom portion of a container positioned on an associated one of said support surfaces.
 4. The drum pallet of claim 3 wherein said raised ribs include said terminal portions at opposite ends thereof, whereby said terminal portions are capable of contacting and securing bottom portions of containers positioned on said support surfaces adjacent to an associated one of said dividers.
 5. The drum pallet of claim 1 wherein said bottom surface further comprises a plurality of pedestals, said pedestals being shaped such that said support surfaces are elevated above a surface upon which said tray is placed.
 6. The drum pallet of claim 5 wherein said pedestals are shaped and positioned on said bottom surface to provide clearance for receiving forks of a lift truck therebetween such that said tray is capable of being supported upon and lifted by forks of a material handling vehicle.
 7. The drum pallet of claim 6 wherein said plurality of support pedestals include a central pedestal located substantially centrally of said tray, corner pedestals located adjacent corners of said tray, and mid-length pedestals located between adjacent ones of said corner pedestals.
 8. The drum pallet of claim 7 wherein said tray further comprises downwardly extending side walls forming about the periphery of said top surface and said bottom surface, said side walls including outer portions of said corner pedestals.
 9. The drum pallet of claim 8 wherein said downwardly extending side walls include outer portions of said mid-length pedestals.
 10. The drum pallet of claim 7 wherein said pedestals have open tops shaped to receive the bottom portions of said pedestals of a second one of said pallets such that said pallet is stackable and nestable.
 11. The drum pallet of claim 8 wherein said side walls form outer portions of said mid-pedestals.
 12. The drum pallet of claim 5 wherein said grooves are formed in bottom surfaces of said pedestals, whereby, when said tray is placed upon said grouping of containers such that upper portions of said containers thereof engage said grooves, spaces are formed between said pedestals and between said bottom surface and said grouping of containers shaped to receive forks of a lift truck.
 13. The drum pallet of claim 1 wherein said tray is made entirely from a single sheet of thermoformed plastic.
 14. The drum pallet of claim 1 wherein said tray further comprises downwardly extending side walls extending about the periphery of said top surface and said bottom surface.
 15. The drum pallet of claim 14 wherein said side walls include raised ribs shaped to engage a bottom portion of a container supported by an associated one of said support surfaces.
 16. The drum pallet of claim 1 wherein said support surfaces are substantially flat and include transverse grooves extending thereacross.
 17. A drum pallet comprising: a tray made from a single sheet of thermoformed plastic and having a top surface and a bottom surface; said top surface including a plurality of support surfaces, each of said support surfaces being substantially flat with transverse grooves thereacross and shaped to receive and support a bottom portion of a container thereon, said support surfaces being substantially flat and including transverse grooves extending thereacross; and a plurality of raised dividers, each of said raised dividers being positioned between adjacent ones of said support surfaces and including raised ribs, said raised ribs having terminal portions shaped and positioned to engage a bottom portion of a container supported on said adjacent ones of said support surfaces and thereby prevent relative lateral movement between said tray and said bottom portion of said container supported on said adjacent one of said support surfaces; said bottom surface having a plurality of grooves formed therein, said grooves being shaped to receive an upper portion of a container and thereby prevent relative lateral movement between said tray and said upper portion of a container received by said grooves, said grooves being positioned on said bottom surface to correspond to said support surfaces; whereby said tray is capable of being placed upon said upper portions of a grouping of containers received and supported on said support surfaces of a second one of said tray immediately below said tray, such that relative lateral movement between said tray and said second one of said tray and upper portions and lower portions of each container of said grouping of containers is prevented; a plurality of support pedestals extending from said bottom surface and being shaped such that said support surfaces are elevated above a surface upon which said tray is placed; said support pedestals being shaped and positioned on said bottom surface to provide clearance for receiving forks of a lift truck therebetween; said support pedestals including a central pedestal located substantially centrally of said tray, corner pedestals located adjacent corners of said tray, and mid-pedestals located between adjacent ones of said corner pedestals; downwardly extending side walls extending about a periphery of said top surface and said bottom surface, said side wall forming outer portions of said corner pedestals and said mid-pedestals; and said pedestals including grooves formed in the bottom surfaces thereof, whereby, when said tray is placed upon said grouping of containers such that upper portions of said containers thereof engage said grooves, spaces are formed between said pedestals and between said bottom surface and said grouping of containers shaped to receive forks of a lift truck. 